Life

The sky will over-up a plethora of interesting sights for stargazers Thursday night and early Friday morning -- weather permitting.

The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak that night.

Science North staff scientist Bryen McGuire said it's also the night of the planetary conjunction -- where the planets align and Venus, Mars and Saturn appear close together.

"It's actually a really neat night to look up in the sky," McGuire said. "It's one of the most prominent meteor showers of the year and the bonus this year is that you get to see the planetary conjunction at the same time.

"If you are going to get out at any time to see a meteor shower, this is the time to do it."

The Perseid meteor shower takes place every year in August when the Earth passes through a trail of debris left by the Swift-Tuttle comet.

He said anywhere from 50 to 100 meteors per hour are expected.

"Not all of them will be perfectly visible, all depending on where you are. If you can only stay in the city and watch it, you'll see some of the brightest ones," McGuire said.

"You'll probably still see quite a few."

The peak is estimated to be between midnight and when the sun rises on Friday, but meteors will be visible before and after that time.

For those who might now want to venture out into the wilderness, but want to watch the meteor shower, a star party will take place at Dynamic Earth from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Science North Astronomer Simon Strasser will give a presentation called Alien Invaders: Shooting Stars and Cataclysm. If weather permits, meteor watching will follow from 9 p.m. until midnight.